1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and compositions that provide for the treatment and inhibition of metastatic carcinoma. A particular aspect of the invention relates to methods and compositions containing compounds which inhibit tumor cell proliferation and invasion, particularly those that are contain uteroglobin, uteroglobin muteins, uteroglobin mimetics, peptide analogs of uteroglobins and muteins. Further compositions of the invention include other types of active ingredients in combination with those described above.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cancers develop from uncontrolled multiplication of cells. All cancers are life threatening. Even when cancer does not result in death, it is permanently debilitating, not only to the patient, but also to family, friends and co-workers. Too often, moreover, cancers prove fatal. The personal and public loss from this cluster of diseases, which cause a significant fraction of all premature deaths, is beyond estimation.
Although effective treatment modalities have been developed in a few cases, many cancers remain refractory to currently available therapies. Particularly difficult to treat are metastatic cancers. These cancers pose the highest risk to patients and, for optimal prognosis, often must be treated by aggressive methods that present increased risks of deleterious side-effects. Therefore, there is a great need for methods that accurately distinguish those tumors that are likely to metastasize from those that are unlikely to do so. Furthermore, methods for treating metastatic cancers often are inadequate, and there also is a clear need for improved anti-metastatic agents and methods to treat metastatic cancers.
Metastatic cancers originate from a primary tumor. Metastasis of the primary tumor produces secondary tumors and disseminated cancer. It is well known that both primary and secondary tumors shed large numbers of cells. The shed cells can spread through the body. For instance, a primary tumor may damage the surrounding lymph or circulatory vessels, allowing entry of shed cells into the lymph or circulatory systems, and hastening their spread in the body. Moreover, shedding of cells by cancerous tumors increases during surgery and radiotherapy.
Most shed cells do not form new tumors. To do so such cells must surmount a series of physical and physiological barriers. In fact, a series of distinct events must occur for metastasis to occur. The primary tumor physically must (i) invade interstitial space of the primary tissue. In particular, it must (ii) penetrate the basement membrane of the tissue. For most metastases the tumor must damage the endothelial cell wall of lymphatic or vascular vessels to provide access to shed cells. Cells that enter the lymph or blood must (iii) survive hemodynamic stress and host defenses in the circulation and, furthermore, (iv) the cells must lodge at a new site in the circulatory system, a process that apparently involves aggregated platelets. A cell then must (v) extravasate out of the vessel into the interstitial space. Finally, it must (vi) invade the interstitial space of the secondary organ and proliferate in the new location. Although the process of metastasis is physiologically complex, the overall pattern of metastasis is general to many types of cancers.
The metastatic process also clearly involves complex intracellular mechanisms that alter cancerous cells and their interactions with surrounding cells and tissues. For instance, cancerous cells are characterized by aberrant expression of adhesion proteins, enzymes that degrade matrix components, autocrine factors, ligand-responsive receptors, factors of angiogenesis and prostaglandins, to name a few. In particular, the signaling pathways that initiate tumor cell migration are among the least understood aspects of invasion and metastasis. Currently, it is thought that proliferation of many cancerous cells depends upon specific ligand-receptor interactions. Thus far, however, it has not been possible to use this paradigm, or other concepts of the underlying mechanisms of metastasis, to develop a therapy that prevents or effectively inhibits metastasis of metastatic cancers.
The complexity of the processes involved in metastasis, and the lack of understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms, have made it particularly difficult, in some cases, to distinguish tumors that are likely to metastasize from those that are unlikely to do so. The inability to discern the metastatic potential of tumors precludes accurate prognosis and leads, inevitably, to the therapeutic intervention that either is too aggressive or insufficiently aggressive. Furthermore, for all types of cancers it has been difficult or impossible, thus far, to develop treatments that inhibit or prevent the spread of metastatic tumors. Clearly, there remains a great need for methods to accurately determine the metastatic potential of tumors and for effective anti-metastatic compositions and methods.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide methods and compositions for inhibiting or treating metastasis.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to methods and compositions that provide for the treatment and inhibition of metastatic carcinoma. A particular aspect of the invention relates to methods and compositions containing compounds which inhibit tumor cell proliferation and invasion, particularly those that are contain uteroglobin, uteroglobin muteins, uteroglobin mimetics, peptide analogs of uteroglobins and muteins. Further compositions of the invention include other types of active ingredients in combination with those described above.
The present invention also relates to methods for gauging the metastatic potential of tumors of epithelial cell origin by determining an effector of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity of a tumor-containing tissue. This aspect of the invention particularly relates to determining uteroglobin protein or mRNA in cells of a biopsy sample to determine metastatic potential of a prostatic, breast, or lung tumor.
The present invention further relates to methods and compositions that treat or inhibit metastases of cancers of epithelial cell origin, especially human cancers of the prostate, breast and lung. A particular aspect of the invention relates to methods and compositions that facilitate or restore control levels of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity. In one aspect in this regard, the invention particularly relates to methods and compositions that replenish control levels of non-aberrant uroglobin that are diminished in patients having metastatic cancers of epithelial origin. Compositions of the invention also particularly include those that contain uteroglobin, uteroglobin muteins, and peptide analogs of uteroglobins that restore control levels of non-aberrant uteroglobin in metastatic cancer patients. Further useful in this regard are compositions that contain mimetics of uteroglobin, particularly of human uteroglobin. Further compositions of the invention include other types of active ingredients in combination with those that restore normal levels of non-aberrant uteroglobin.
The invention also particularly relates to methods to treat or inhibit metastases of human cancers of epithelial cell origin by administering the foregoing compositions. Especially in this regard the invention relates to methods using human uteroglobin to inhibit or prevent metastasis of human prostate, breast and lung cancers. Further, this aspect of the invention may be accomplished by genetic therapy.
Methods and compositions of the invention may be used by themselves and with other treatment modalities.
In accomplishing the foregoing object, there has also been provided, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for identifying an effector of integrin-mediated tumor maintenance of cell invasive capacity, comprising the step of administering to an organism suffering from a cancer of epithelial cell origin a compound that binds binds to integrin and in an amount and manner effective to identify the degree of integrin-mediated maintenance of tumor cell invasive capacity.
Another method of the present invention is directed to a diagnostic kit for the detection of an effector of integrin-mediated tumor cell invasive capacity in a biopsy sample, the kit comprising: a first reagent that binds specifically to an effector of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity in a biopsy sample prepared for determination of the effector, and a second reagent for detectably labeling the primary binding reagent bound specifically to cells in the biopsy sample, wherein the determination of the effector is diagnostic of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity.
In certain preferred embodiments of the kits of the invention, the effector is a molecule which binds to integrin, among which uteroglobin is particularly preferred.
In certain further preferred embodiments of the this aspect of the invention, the first reagent is an antibody. In these embodiments, the determination would occur where uteroglobin-antibody staining would indicate normal integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity of an non-aggressive cancer if strong staining occurred, and aberrant integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity of an aggressive cancer if a weak or no signal occurred.
Additional preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention are those in which the first reagent is a hybridization probe. In certain preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the effector is a molecule which binds to integrin, among which uteroglobin is particularly preferred.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for treating or inhibiting metastasis of a cancer of epithelial cell origin, comprising the step of administering to an organism suffering from a cancer of epithelial cell origin a compound that restore/replenish control levels of non-aberrant uroglobin in an amount effective to inhibit or treat metastasis of the tumor.
In a preferred embodiment of an aspect of the invention in this regard, the compound binds to integrin. In especially highly preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the compound is a uteroglobin, a mutein of a uteroglobin, a peptide analog of a uteroglobin, or a mimetic of uteroglobin. Uteroglobin is preferred and human uteroglobin is particularly highly preferred in this regard.
In another regard, preferred embodiments of the present method are those used to treat a cancers of the prostate, breast, and lung in a human patient.
In further preferred embodiments, the method is used in conjunction with another treatment. In this regard, preferred treatments include surgical intervention, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, cryotherapy or gene therapy.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there has been provided a pharmaceutical composition for inhibiting or preventing metastasis of a cancer of epithelial cell origin, comprising: (i) a compound that binds to integrin on cells of a tumor of epithelial cell origin effective to inhibit or treat metastasis of the tumor in an organism and (ii) a carrier for effective the therapeutic administration of the compound to the organism.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention the compound binds to integrin. In this regard, the preferred embodiment of the compound is a uteroglobin, a mutein of a uteroglobin, a peptide analog of a uteroglobin, or a mimetic of uteroglobin. Among these, uteroglobins are very highly preferred, and human uteroglobins are among the most highly preferred compounds of the present invention.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there has been provided a method for determining the degree of integrin-mediated proliferation of tumors, particularly those of epithelial cell origin. In certain preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention there has been provided a method for determining the degree of integrin-mediated proliferation of tumors of epithelial cell origin comprising the steps of (A) determining an effector of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity in a biopsy sample of a tumor; (B) comparing effector in tumor cells in the biopsy sample with effector in control cells, and (C) determining degree of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity, wherein effector in the tumor cells characteristic of control cells of non-aggressive tumors indicates high degree of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity and effector in the tumor cells characteristic of control cells of aggressive indicates low degree of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity.
In some preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention the effector binds to integrin. In particularly preferred embodiments in this regard, the effector is uteroglobin.
In certain preferred embodiments the effector is determined by assaying the effector protein in cells of the tumor. In particularly preferred embodiments in this regard, the effector binds to integrin. Especially preferred is uteroglobin. In particularly preferred embodiments in this regard the tumor is a prostatic, breast, or lung tumor and the effector is uteroglobin.
In another aspect of the invention, preferred embodiments of the invention provide methods for determining degree of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity in which a protein is assayed by immunocytochemistry. In certain preferred embodiments of this type, the effector binds to integrin. Particularly preferred in embodiments of the invention in this regard is uteroglobin. In particularly preferred embodiments in this regard the tumor is a prostatic, breast, or lung tumor and the effector is uteroglobin.
In certain additional preferred embodiments of the invention in this regard, the effector is determined by assaying an mRNA in cells of a tumor. In particularly preferred embodiments in this regard, the mRNA encodes a molecule that binds to integrin. Especially preferred is uteroglobin. In particularly preferred embodiments in this regard the tumor is a prostatic, breast, or lung tumor and the effector is uteroglobin.
In certain preferred embodiments in this regard, the mRNA is determined by a method comprising a step of hybridizing a probe to cells fixed on a surface. In certain preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention the mRNA is determined by in situ hybridization.
In preferred embodiments of the invention in both regards the effector binds to integrin, most particularly uteroglobin. In particularly preferred embodiments in this regard the tumor is a prostatic, breast, or lung tumor and the effector is uteroglobin.
In another aspect of the invention in this regard, aberrant mRNA is determined. In preferred embodiments of the invention in this regard, the mRNA encodes binds to integrin, most particularly uteroglobin. In particularly preferred embodiments in this regard the tumor is a prostatic, breast, or lung tumor and the effector is uteroglobin.
In a still further object of the invention there has been provided a kit for determining degree of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity of a tumor. In certain preferred embodiments kits of the invention comprise: (A) a first reagent that binds specifically to an effector of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity in a biopsy sample prepared for determination of the effector, and (B) a second reagent for detectably labelling the primary binding reagent bound specifically to cells in the biopsy sample, wherein the determination of the effector tumor is diagnostic of the degree of integrin-mediated maintenance of cell invasive capacity of the tumor.
In certain preferred embodiments of the kits of the invention, the effector binds to integrin, among which uteroglobin is particularly preferred.
In certain further preferred embodiments of the this aspect of the invention, the first reagent is an antibody. In particularly preferred embodiments in this respect, the effector binds to integrin, among which uteroglobin is particularly preferred.
Additional preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention are those in which the first reagent is a hybridization probe. In certain preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the effector binds to integrin, among which uteroglobin is particularly preferred. Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while providing general and specific descriptions and indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only. Various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description and other aspects of the present disclosure.